


tell me we'll never get used to it

by ephemeralstar



Series: maybe sprout wings [8]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Uhhhh Havoc's There Forget He Was Kicked Out Of The City, Day At The Beach, M/M, Post-Six Month Break, big dad energy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-04
Updated: 2020-01-04
Packaged: 2021-02-22 12:44:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22116166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ephemeralstar/pseuds/ephemeralstar
Summary: "Listen, it's not that I think you'll let me drown -" Rook's got one hand gripping the side of the boat, the other fidgeting in his lap as he looks back at shore. Mim and Dante are asleep on the towels; Mim's in the shade of one of the umbrellas and Dante's burning brighter in the sunlight, "but learning to swim's never exactly been a priority for me." The elf admits, looking at his knees, and Yin can't help but smile.
Relationships: Yin "Stormbringer" Thunderspar & Rook & Nel Thunderspar, Yin "Stormbringer" Thunderspar/Rook
Series: maybe sprout wings [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1355836





	tell me we'll never get used to it

**Author's Note:**

> will i ever stop using richard siken quotes as titles? no.
> 
> _“Tell me how all this, and love too, will ruin us._  
>  _These, our bodies, possessed by light._  
>  _Tell me we'll never get used to it.”_

Yin is pretty sure Rook has a second bag of holding that he uses exclusively for his beach trips, because thirteen of them, which is most of the group, aside from Ishra'nel, are trekking down to the waterfront, and Rook has a towel for everyone. He also brought snacks, and an salve he's cobbled together to keep the paler ones of the group from getting burnt by the sun. Something, a lot of somethings actually, are clinking, and Yin can't quite identify what they are. He muses that Rook's probably got tools to build a sandcastle in there, incase anyone asks; Yin's far more endeared by it than he lets on.

The sky is clear and blue; that much Yin had made sure of, and when they arrive, it appears that many other townsfolk had decided to take advantage of the beautiful, warm weather down by the beachfront, though it's easy enough for them to find a spot a little ways down, and they all set to work setting up their space for the day. It's less 'organised' than it is 'a cacophony of shouting' between the party -

"Where's Thorax?"

"In the water?"

"Already?"

"Who has the food?"

"Havoc -" / "Me, obviously."

"Hand us that umbrella?"

"Which one?"

"The red one."

"We don't have a red umbrella."

"Sure we do! That one!"

"You might be colourblind."

"Fuck."

"Hey! Oi! You two- can we not commit any felonies for one day?"

"Aw, come on-" / "A little bit of thievery never hurt anyone."

"Eldeth, I swear to Gods-"

"Which one? All of them -" / "Or just yours?"

"Where's my boat?"

"In my bag -" / "How'd you fit it in your bag?!"

"It's a folding boat, Dante."

"OW!"

"Uriel!" / "Are you alright?"

"Fine, fine," they mumble, hammer in one hand, the other nursing a clearly injured finger. Rook's by their side in an instant, before turning a disapproving look upon the rest of the group.

"Why's Uriel setting up the tent?" He asks, looking at each of them in turn.

"It's their tent-" Wickett speaks up, but Rook fixes her with an exasperated stare.

"They're blind!"

"They've got Boston," she's trying to keep a straight face as she says it, but the weasel in question is also glaring at her.

"It's not his fault," Uriel pipes up, reaching up to pet Boston, who sits primly on their shoulder, "I just got a bit confused with all the shouting is all." 

"It's alright, we're about set up anyways," Rook assures, "I've brought some of that salve I've been working on, to keep your skin from getting burnt, it's under the green umbrella if you'd like to use it," he offered, holding his hand out for the hammer. After a beat, Boston murmurs to Uriel, and the mage quietly thanks Rook and hands the hammer over, before Rook's turning to the others, "Vilmak, can you... where's Vilmak?" To his surprise, only a few were left, the others trouping towards the water now that most of the set-up was complete. Dante, from where they were laying out on a towel and carefully staying _well_ away from the water, lowers their sunglasses to look at Rook.

"He's in the water."

"Thanks, I can see that," Rook sighed, "could you -"

"No I could not, my dude; I'm chillin', I'm _at_ the beach, that's the most you're getting from me."

"And you're starting the bonfire later-" Yin adds.

"And I'm starting the bonfire later." Dante agrees, and slides their sunglasses back up their nose, laying back and soaking up the sunlight. "Why can't you just use magic to set it up? And why can't you do it yourself?"

"Because he doesn't know how," Yin supplies, amused, to which Rook tries to splutter a protest, but when Yin gently frees the hammer from Rook's grip, he gives it up without a fight, "no sense burning a spell slot on a simple tent." Yin adds, kneeling by the tent peg Uriel had been working on. "Rook?" He asks, without turning around, and the elf makes a hum of acknowledgement, "can you get Nel back here? He needs some of that salve, he's too pale to be out in the sun without it." And though Yin doesn't see it, Rook smiles.

Nel grumbles the entire time as he wades out of the water when Rook calls him, makes faces as he scoops out some of the salve, and smacks Rook's hands away when he goes to help apply the salve to his ears and the back of his neck, making a very obvious ' _I can do it myself_ ' gesture. 

"Hat." Yin calls out after him as he tries to head back, and Nel groans, sticking his entire arm in Rook's beach bag of holding, and comes out with the propeller hat he had found while out sailing with Yin. Jamming it on his head, both Yin and Rook watch the propellers spin angrily, matching the kid's fed up expression. He gestures grandly to the ocean, asking implicitly; ' _H_ _appy? Can I go now?_ '

"Do you want your cloak?" Rook asks, referring to the Cloak of the Manta-Ray the child had procured, also whilst travelling the open sea with Yin. Nel's expression edges on thoughtful for just a moment, and the propellers slow for a beat, and he nods once. He fishes through the bag again, pulling the Cloak from his bag and tying it on proudly before he marches back to the water.

Between all of them, they've brought enough _things_ and _food_ to last all of them comfortably for several days. Rook says it's ' _just in case_ ' as if he needed to justify their collective hedonism to anyone other than himself, or maybe Uriel. Not that that's likely; Uriel's brought a tent, left over from when their tavern had been in construction, and it serves as the center of their set-up, housing Yin's enchanted water-cooler, filled to the brim with fresh, crisp cucumber water. There's a horseshoe of overlapping umbrellas, serving as shelter from the sun for those who want it, and in the center, Yin and Rook take turns digging out a fire pit, for when they want to cook dinner. There's a markets a few streets away, and Wickett and Havoc have volunteered for dinner duty, and will be heading there to procure ingredients for dinner when the time is right.

For now, however, Rook sets out the snacks Havoc had prepared; various fruits and some dried meat, enough to tide them over during the day, as well as cups for all of them, which clears up the mystery of the clinking bag, and leaves Uriel in charge of the set-up. Before they had even left, Eldeth and Roscoe had descended on the snacks like seagulls, but that's what the food was there for, after all, and they had _plenty_ of it. 

Heading down to the waterfront with Yin, Folding Boat in hand, Rook takes a moment to marvel at the day, and quietly, at Yin himself, who'd forgone his usual armored attire for a pair of embroidered, drawstring pants, with only his own Cloak of the Manta-Ray draped over his broad shoulders. It hadn't been the first time Rook had seen the Half-Orc shirtless, but it was the first time he'd been able to see the man's scars and tattoos so clearly in the unflinching light of the sun. They make small talk about the day, about the weather and their friends, and Rook tries not to let his gaze linger when he catches sight of the way the fractal scar extends down Yin's entire left side, across his hips, down past the waistband of his pants.

" _Ahoy_." Barefoot and knee deep in the water, Yin speaks the command word, and the boat unfold to it's full size before their very eyes; Yin gestures to it, asking Rook to climb aboard as Yin pushes it from shore. After a few moments, they're deep enough that the boat is floating, and Yin climbs aboard, sitting opposite the elf, one hand gentle on the side of the boat, the other holding the Holy Symbol Rook had made for him, that he wears around his neck. His eyes fall closed and they glide through the ocean with ease, but Havoc barely notices the waves parting around them for the sight of Yin's entire scar lighting up with a brilliant white glow.

"Does that always happen?" Rook asks, quiet and intrigued.

Yin cracks his eyes open, though the momentum of the boat doesn't slow, and he fixes Rook with a smile, nodding. The light still glows beneath the cloak that adorns his well muscled frame; Rook smiles too.

"Can you help me?" Yin asks, his hand moving from the boat to his hair, held in tight braids that were usually hidden beneath the hood of his cloak, but today shone in the sunlight. After a moment, he pulled a piece of twine from the end of one of his braids, trying to pull his hair free from the tight structure, though it was slow going. Almost immediately, Rook leans forward, his hands taking over from Yin's, while Yin returned to magically pushing the boat further from the shore. Focusing on the task at hand, it's as if Rook can't see the forest for the trees, only coming to realise that Yin's hair was longer than he'd assumed when all the braids are finally out.

"It dries faster this way," Yin offers as way of explanation, which amuses Rook in a way he can't quite articulate.

"You planning on taking a dive?" He asks, raising an eyebrow and sitting back, his gaze flicking from Yin to the shore. He could still see the others, but they were much smaller in the distance than he'd anticipated them being. He hears Wickett and Havoc shriek and yell as Vilmak and Thorax team up to splash the pair, launching a water war between almost everyone in the water. Before Yin can answer, Rook frowns.

"How far out are we?"

"A few hundred metres; not far," Yin's scars are fading back to their normal, pale green, his tone serious, matching Havoc's, who was visibly concerned.

"How deep is it?" Rook peers over the edge of the boat, he sees a dark shape move beneath the water, a few meters below the surface, and promptly looks back at Yin for reassurance. Which he does not get.

"Don't know exactly; why?" 

"There's something... _down there_ , like big and dark, do you think it's a mermaid?"

"This close to shore? Probably not." Yin pauses, regarding Rook curiously for his sudden change in attitude. "What's wrong, are you alright?"

"Listen, it's not that I think you'll let me drown -" Rook's got one hand gripping the side of the boat, the other fidgeting in his lap as he looks back at shore. Mim and Dante are asleep on the towels; Mim's in the shade of one of the umbrellas and Dante's burning brighter in the sunlight, "but learning to swim's never exactly been a priority for me." The elf admits, looking at his knees, and Yin can't help but smile.

"Rook -"

"If you're about to offer to teach me, while it's kind, I don't feel comfortable -" He cuts himself off with the feeling of material being draped over his shoulders. Looking up, he sees Yin leaning forward, arms extending as he gently places his Cloak of the Manta-Ray over Rook's shoulders, tying it securely.

"I'd never let you drown;" he says, gentle as he only ever lets himself be around Rook or Nel, "even if you can't swim, with this you can breathe underwater, and I'd come and rescue you." Even the feeling of the leathery, but lightweight material has Rook feeling more secure, though now Yin is just _absolutely topless_ and _built_ and _holy shit is that mark branded onto him?_

Yin follows Rook's gaze, leaning back when he realises what he's staring at, hand coming up to self consciously rub at the mark, a skull wearing a wide-brimmed hat, that had been bisected by his fractal scar.

"It's a mark of loyalty." He explained, voice a little far away, though after a moment he leans forward, twisting to offer a better look to Rook. Just by looking he could tell it was old, older than even the fractal scar, and he asks how old Yin was when he was branded, reaching out with a gentle hand to trace the ridges of the scar. Yin watched Rook's hand move against his skin, trying to remember. "Fifteen, sixteen maybe?" He considers, and at Rook's rather horrified look, he merely shrugs. "The Captain raised me, I thought it was a good idea at the time." 

Rook takes a moment to process this information, moving from the brand to follow the fractal scars down Yin's arm.

"Not your parents?" Rook hears himself asking, curiosity getting the better of him; it's the most Yin's ever divulged about his past that wasn't specifically about _being a pirate_.

"He killed my parents."

"And you still went with him?"

"I was a child, I didn't exactly have much personal agency," Yin said wryly, and Rook finally met his gaze, seeing the exasperated amusement on his face.

"You do know what Stockholm Syndrome is, right?"

"I don't know how to make it clearer that I was _a child_ , Rook, and he was a Goliath; he might as well have been a God to me at that point."

Rook hums, but offers no real commentary, going back to being fascinated with the jagged ends of the lightning shape scar burned down the left of Yin's body. Yin, for his part, is content on the open water, is content with Rook's gentle, focused touches, and he watches with mild interest as the rest of their friends played about in the surf and on the shore; Eldeth and Roscoe seemed to be in competition with Uriel and Boston, to see who could build the best sandcastle. Both Uriel and Roscoe were clearly integrating magic, but Yin wasn't close enough to see how.

"Does it light up?" Rook asks.

"Huh?" And when Yin comes back into the situation at hand, he feels that Rook has stopped at his shoulder, his fingers tapping a gentle beat.

"When you cast, does it the brand light up?" 

To both their surprises, when Yin turns to his boating companion, they're almost nose to nose. Neither of them had seemed to realise how far Rook had leaned in as he had found himself fascinated with the designs nature had imprinted on him. Rook blinks a few times, his hand going still, laying flat against Yin's shoulder. 

"No," Yin tells him, voice soft, the look in his eyes so genuinely affectionate that it almost startles Rook a second time. Leaning in, Yin presses a gentle kiss to Rook's lips, smiling in the afternoon sunlight. Though it's only slight, the boat rocks, and Rook's grip on Yin's shoulder tightens, as he kisses him back, letting himself relax in the moment. 

The moment lingers before they part, though they're still so close, and Rook is searching Yin's eyes for answers, delighted but curious as to the spontaneous moment of affection.

"The shape you saw by the boat was Nel." Is not what Rook had expected Yin to say, and he pulls back, just outright confused, though Yin's amused. After a moment, Yin's gaze shifts to the side of the boat, and when Rook's follows, he sees Nel, resting his head on his arms, still mostly in the water, watching the two of them with a gentle stillness that Rook hadn't really seen in the boy. His time at sea had somehow mellowed him, it seems. The propellers of his wet but secure propeller hat were turning lazily in the gentle sea breeze. _He_ had been what had rocked the boat, moments ago.

As if sensing the moment had passed, Nel looks expectantly at Yin, before gesturing at the sail. 

"What...?" Rook asked, looking between the pair, as Yin offered the boy a hand, pulling him into the boat.

"He's been wanting to show you what he'd learned at sea." Yin explains, moving from where he'd been sitting near the mast, to sit beside Rook, watching as Nel unfurled the sail that had been tied up. "He's got a real talent for it, don't worry." Rook had never heard pride in Yin's voice before, not like this, but it was shining through like the sun, and Nel looked back, beaming at Yin for a moment before going back to the task at hand. Together they watch as the boy near-expertly sails them around the bay as the sun sunk lower in the clouds.

The gentle rock of the waves becomes a comfort after a while, and with Yin's arm around him, and Nel's surprisingly adept sailing abilities, it's not just the cloak making Rook feel secure aboard the little boat. 


End file.
